1.73 Carat Diamond Found in Arkansas

The stone is the latest find at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Two regular visitors to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Ark., have found a 1.73 ct. diamond.

Jack Pearadin, of Murfreesboro, Ark., and Doug Nelsen, of Winneconne, Wis., have been searching the diamond fields at the park for nearly a year as a team.

They discovered the gemstone, which is the third-largest diamond found in the park this year, while washing gravel. The discovery is Pearadin’s 36th diamond find in the park, which he has been visiting for more than three years. It is Nelsen’s fifth discovery.

More than 32,000 diamonds have been discovered in the park since it opened in 1972. This diamond is the 484th stone registered in 2016; 16 of those have weighed over 1 ct.

For an inside look at what it’s like to visit the park, check out JCK editor in chief Victoria Gomelsky’s account of her own diamond search.